Denis Named Conference Player Of The Week

Jan 23, 2012

Big Rapids, Mich. - Ferris State University men's ice hockey freshman defenseman Simon Denis (Burnaby, British Columbia) has been chosen as this week's (Jan. 23) Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Gladiator Defenseman of the Week, which was announced today by the league office.

Denis registered a career-best two assists in each of the nationally-ranked Bulldogs' games and blocked a total of three shots this past weekend (Jan. 20-21) against fifth-ranked Ohio State. The 5-10, 168-pound defender concluded the two-game set with a plus one efficiency rating and was part of the penalty-kill unit that finished 11-for-12 on the weekend.

In Friday's 4-3 victory over OSU, Denis tallied assists on both the first goal of the game and on the eventual game-winning goal. He also blocked a shot.

Then, in Saturday's 3-3 overtime tie, the rookie again assisted on the first goal of the game before going on to notch a helper in the Bulldogs' third goal of the game. In that contest, he blocked two Buckeye shots.

Since making his collegiate debut against Alaska on November 18, Denis has had a class-leading seven assists.

Ferris State, which is currently 15-8-3 overall this season and 9-6-3-(1) in the conference and on a six-game unbeaten streak, will host the Michigan State Spartans this weekend at FSU's Ewigleben Ice Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. Opening faceoff for both Friday and Saturday night is at 7:05 p.m. (EDT).

Tickets can be obtained by calling the FSU Athletics Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888 or by going online at www.startickets.com. They can also be purchased at the customer service desk at all West Michigan Meijer locations.